The reality behind casting for reality television shows

When Chicago casting director Lindsey Drucker watched Paula Meronek's audition tape, Drucker knew right away that she had found a great character for the show she was casting.

In the 10-minute video, Meronek, wearing no makeup, her hair in a ponytail, sits on the edge of the tub in her bathroom crying hysterically about the way her boyfriend has abused her.

"That camera was her outlet to say, 'Help me. I have problems.' We wanted to know more," says Drucker, who worked for Bunim/Murray Productions at the time. Meronek made it onto MTV's "The Real World: Key West."

Because reality-TV shows don't rely on trained actors, the casting process focuses on finding the right combination of personalities, looks and chemistry to fit each show's theme. It boils down to one rule: Make reality interesting. Audiences don't want to "watch somebody watch TV," Drucker says. With the number of reality-TV shows that recently have held casting calls in Chicago, including the "Real Housewives" series and "American Idol," and "The Biggest Loser" auditions coming up Saturday at the NBC Tower, we wondered what casting directors look for when deciding who makes it onto these shows.

Most reality shows are based on a central concept: a group of real people with different personalities interacting with one another , says David O'Connor, casting director of Chicago's O'Connor Casting Co., which has worked with "Survivor" and "Top Design," among other shows. The kinds of people cast for each show can differ widely based on what the producers want.

Still, certain personalities are key to making good TV, namely, the "devil" characters that create conflict, and the drama kings and queens who thrive on controversy. Take, for instance, "I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!" from which supermodel Janice Dickinson and Speidi -- notorious troublemakers Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt of MTV's "The Hills" -- were eliminated.

"You just lost some devil characters," says O'Connor, who has been casting for TV shows, films and commercials for 18 years.

Then you have your pushovers, the ones prone to meltdowns and freak-outs, like the innocent contestant on VH1's "Rock of Love" who, Bret Michaels decides halfway through the show, just isn't cut out for the wild life of a 46-year-old rocker.

"You're going to throw [the pushovers] into a situation they're not ready for," O'Connor says, noting that the emotionally vulnerable characters will create just as much drama as the tougher characters.

And, of course, the casting staff is always on the lookout for oddball characters. On a big network show such as "American Idol," O'Connor says, the staff is prepared to find three types of characters: the oddballs, the best and the disastrous. The best make it through based on talent, but the others make for great TV.

The "iffy" personalities are risky, O'Connor says, noting that it's easier to predict how the more-defined personalities will do on the show.So what gets you noticed? Both O'Connor and Drucker say it's essential to be able to talk about yourself. Even in shows where talent is the driving factor behind getting picked, such as "Top Chef" or "Project Runway," the contestants need to be able to talk about their work and explain it on-camera. Because reality shows are driven by a cast's confessionals and narratives, it's key to be articulate and to show that you won't freeze in front of a camera.

"Dead airtime is dead airtime," O'Connor says, noting that if you don't have anything interesting to say, you're not TV material.

During the audition process, the interviews become more intimate after the callbacks, when casting directors ask hopefuls for their life stories and get a feel for their personalities and viewpoints. Questions guaranteed to stir people up usually are related to politics or past relationships, Drucker says.

At the same time, casting directors have only a short period in which to get to know an individual, so first impressions matter greatly.

"You only have a certain window of time, so you don't want to pull teeth," Drucker says, noting that the more open and candid a person is about his or her life, the easier it will be for casting directors to feel out that individual's personality and how he or she would fit into the show.

Drucker relies on her instinct to discern whether someone is the type of person who will do anything to get on TV or wants to use reality TV to get into the industry, neither of which is desirable. People who use profanity excessively or seem to be making up stories, will raise red flags.

It's important to find the right group of people with a variety of personalities that can grow on the audience and drive the show. Reality TV is like sports, Drucker says, in the way that the viewers root for their favorite character from episode to episode.

"People love to root for their home player," Drucker says. "It's the competitive aspect of reality television; they get an intimate view of the people they're attached to."

The dilemma, though, is that with each show the bar is raised a little higher, so casting directors have to look for people who are a little more outrageous, a little more interesting.

"Reality TV is constantly pushing the boundary," Drucker says. "It's like people looking at accidents."